Eighteen
by keacdragon
Summary: Very First Fanfic and open to ANY comments, I need the feedback.  Just a Thought of a very special event during the Golden Age R&R please!  Enjoy!


**Eighteen**

**Summary: In the Golden age, it is Lucy's birthday, the great eighteen for the Valiant Queen, though happy, she is unsure of what it means. Maybe a walk on the beach will help?**

"Please Susan, just make sure no one follows me, I'll be back in a few minutes." Lucy pleaded. It was her birthday party for her eighteenth, and the grand ball was huge for the youngest queen. Lucy had been busy all day with the preparations and her dress. Susan couldn't blame her for wanting to get away. It was overwhelming her younger sister, and she hated whenever Lucy had to suffer.

"Orieus will follow you to the gate, so if anyone wonders it will go unnoticed." Susan said, giving Lucy permission to leave. Her sister smiled then ran off in the shadows. The centaur, having overhead the conversation on purpose nodded before following. He too understood the youngest queen's need to escape.

Lucy walked quietly beside him as she wiggled her crown off her head. Once at the gate she wrapped it in a napkin she had borrowed and removed her shoes. Setting the wrapped crown on her shoes she slipped out as Orieus settled to wait just outside the gate in the shadows of Cair Paravel.

The crescent moon gave her enough light to walk to and along the beach, Lucy moved quietly, hands swinging at her sides. She intermittently watched the waves and the sand beneath her as her dress reflected both the moonlight and the glistening water. It was a silver under-dress with short sleeves that reached to the floor; it was covered by a nice strawberry red over dress that reached just past her elbows and went to about an inch above the hem of the silver. The red was edged with light gold all around and a silver-gold sash tied it in the middle, leaving a bit of Lucy's silver covered chest revealed as well as letting her silver skirt show. Her now waist length hair was wavy from the braid she had kept it in all day and held back by a silver pin Mrs. Beaver had found for her.

Lucy sighed as she stopped and faced the sea a long ways from the castle, the calm waters reflected the moon and star light but didn't light up everything, giving it a peaceful quiet look.

"I'm eighteen." She whispered; holding her arms out, she spun a few times in a circle before falling back onto the sand.

"That you are, Dear One." A rich voice said behind her, Lucy rolled onto her stomach and looked up.

Aslan sat just above her on the sand, his tawny gold coat looking paler in the light, but his eyes shone with the same wisdom and love Lucy adored. Lucy smiled widely and giggled as she hugged him. Aslan let her knock him over as he wrapped his free paw around her; the other kept the two from crushing something on the sand.

Lucy breathed in the sweet smell of his mane while all her concern and confusion from the party and her birthday melted away. Aslan lay silently on the sand as she leaned against him, her breathing evened to a calmer state before he turned to her.

"Are you enjoying your birthday?" He asked her as she sat up and crossed her legs under her dress.

"Yes, it's lovely, though different." She answered uncertainly.

"And what makes it different?" Aslan pressed gently, Lucy looked down at her hands in her lap.

"It's…weird, I'm eighteen, which makes me an adult, but I still feel little. I want to grow up and be older, but I want to stay little. I don't know, it's confusing." Lucy explained hesitantly, still not meeting his eyes.

"Lucy," He spoke softly, she looked up, and the moonlight reflected off her wet eyes. "Many things come to us in the future, things that are good, and things that are bad, but that doesn't change the fact that we must face them. Holding on to ones youth is expected, a time of learning, growing and changing to become an adult, but growing up still happens, and is as wonderful as the time before it. Being an adult, you can do some things you weren't able as a young child, or even a year ago. Yes it feels different, but that is all part of it. Have Faith in yourself and you'll be as wonderful as ever."

Lucy smiled before wiping her eyes, "Thank you." She looked out to the sea and noticed four mer-girls swimming near the shore, they waved at their queen and she waved back. They dove beneath to then rise and curve in different shapes in the air, two made the letter 'L'; then another jumped and bent in to an 'U', the last jumped into a 'C' shape. The first three jumped together and formed a fork while the last jumped right behind to finish the mer-version of the letter 'Y'. Lucy laughed and clapped as they resurfaced. The girls waved to one another in farewell, as Aslan chuckled softly and watched with Lucy as they disappeared.

"Now, I think some of your guests may start to wonder about your absence." Aslan said sitting up. Lucy sighed, half in understanding, and half in despair.

"Alright." She mumbled. Aslan smiled and nudged something towards her. Lucy picked it up and turned to him in question.

Aslan shook his head and crouched closer to the ground, "Come, it's time for you to return." Lucy smiled as she climbed on, she tucked the object into her sash then laced her fingers through Aslan's thick mane, and she inhaled deeply as she smelled the sweet summer scent of flowers and fresh dew on grass. Aslan chuckled as she sighed in love of the smell, Lucy laughed as she felt the deep rumbles in Aslan's chest. Turning to face the castle Aslan started at a walk; Lucy shivered at the cool sea breeze and tightened her grip through his mane.

Aslan made a noise that sounded and felt like a purr as he jumped over a rock and bounded off. Lucy squealed in delight and laughed as he ran, Aslan joined her and his deep rumbles filled her.

Lucy knew she was one of few who could really make Aslan laugh, most lions or any cats, didn't like people's squeals near them, their sensitive ears were hurt by the high pitched noises. Aslan never showed that it hurt him, he seemed to love them, finding ways to get Lucy to squeal and laugh without hurting her. As they neared the castle, Lucy calmed down and took to smiling, Aslan chuckled softly which made Lucy rub his neck under the thick mane as she felt it.

The Lion didn't ever tell her, but her little acts of just even running her fingers through his mane were extremely soothing. He loved when she cared like that, she wouldn't put everything on him, she would ask about other things. An equal, he thought to himself; yes, she respected him, and saw him as greater like everyone else, but she was the only one who really relaxed around him. He smiled gently as she leaned forward to avoid a tree branch, out the corner of one of his eyes he could see her beaming. She loved riding him, but never asked, and he loved doing it for her.

Orieus bowed low as Aslan neared and then stopped in front of him, the two conversed as Lucy slipped her shoes on and placed her crown where it should be.

"Your Majesty." Orieus said simply holding out an arm to escort the queen inside. Lucy looked to the Lion. Aslan nodded as he stayed outside the gates, Lucy smiled and left with Orieus while he sighed deeply. She had grown up so much since she came to Narnia, and Aslan knew she'd do fine. Sighing again he turned and walked solemnly back to the beach, away from Cair Paravel and Narnia until he was needed again.

"Well, little Lu, how about you open the presents from your sibs?" Peter asked as the last of the guests left, the four royals were present along Tumnus, Orieus and the beavers.

"Alright." She said in mock defeat. They went up in ages, Edmund gave her a brown and red book with gold lettering, "_The Royal Daily Diary of Queen Lucy the Valiant, Do Not Open or Thou Shall Feel the Wrath of King Edmund the Just Who Will Forget His Calm Title._" Lucy laughed as she read it aloud.

Susan was next and Lucy received a bundle of light blue fabric with pale green, purple, white, and silver swirls and designs all over. "The perfect fabric for a dancing dress." She explained with a wink, knowing Lucy loved to go dance at night with the narnians in the woods.

Peter then gave her a small amethyst carved into a heart with a thread thin leaf and vine design circling it and creating a little forest Dryad figurine. Lucy could only beam at her brother as he hugged her and kissed her forehead.

The beavers were the next in line, and they had a beautifully carved map of the eastern shore line, in a radiant cedar wood. Lucy declared she'd display it on a fine position on top of her desk.

"Tomorrow morning, go to the stables and find the steed that fits the halter, she is yours, from everyone in the centaur and horse guard." Orieus explained and handed her a small leather halter. Lucy smiled as she fingered the soft leather, imagining what the foal might look like, she hadn't heard that any of the mares in the stable were expecting, so this was the perfect surprise.

Tumnus smiled as he handed her a triangle shaped package, Lucy looked curiously at him and then carefully untied the ribbon and opened the case, inside on soft green velvet, was a double pipe faun flute. Lucy had been trying for years to learn how to play them, intrigued by their unique sound.

"Now you have one to practice on." Tumnus told her with a smile, Lucy hugged them all tightly, but as she hugged her best faun friend she noticed the package still in her sash. Sitting back down she pulled it out and looked at it, it was a small white box without any fancy decorations, just plain white. Opening the box she saw on top of a plain white cloth was small gold necklace, just the right size to fit her neck. The clasp was simple yet sturdy, and when Lucy moved the box, the gold shimmered blue like her eyes.

"Lovely Lu, but who gave you that?" Edmund said as he looked at the necklace, there was no name anywhere on the box or in it.

Lucy looked underneath the white cloth and noticed some black script. After reading it to herself, her siblings could guess who had given her the gift, Lucy's huge smile and bright eyes said it all. Lucy now knew why He had never said it, His gift said it all.

"_Happy Birthday Dear One_."


End file.
